High glossed toner images are created by forming very smooth surfaces that minimize the amount of light diffusion off the surface. These extremely smooth surfaces, when placed against one another, can create significant problems in print handling. When two smooth surfaces are placed together, particularly as with duplex prints (although this is also somewhat true with simplex prints), the surface contact area between the prints is maximized. As air escapes from between the prints, which happens naturally over time or when pressed together, e.g., as in a cutter, the forces locking the prints together increases enough to prevent movement between the sheets and can create a solid “brick” of prints. Handling this type of output within the glossing equipment or in post processing equipment can be impossible. It is particularly noted that in practice there occurs poor stacking, inability to jog the prints, multi-feeding of prints in postal equipment, rejection of prints from the post office for poor handling in postal equipment.
After examining a number of print surfaces, it has been determined that those prints with micrometer sized raised features had the best sliding (and non-bricking) performance. In a typical glossing/fusing process mode utilizing a belt for effecting glossing/fusing, the desired belt features, which serve to create the raised print features are formed by the natural roughening that occurs in the glossing/fusing process. Unfortunately, it takes tens of thousand of glossed/fused sheets to get the desired glossing/fusing belt characteristics for optimum print sliding performance. The ideal performance may require a belt that has been aged by as many as 200,000 prints. Accordingly, it is the purpose of this invention to produce an ideal glossing/fusing belt with suitable surface features that eliminate fused prints from “bricking” together.